Escapist and sweet
Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez strike gold in Only Murders in the Building, writes Kelly Lawler.
STEVE Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez together in a Hulu murder mysterycomedy? Sure, why not. Anything goes in 2021. The three actors make an appealing, Only Murders in the adorable trio in Building, a comedy about three murder podcast devotees who investigate the death of a neighbour in their Manhattan apartment building — and (of course) make their own podcast about it. Martin and Short have years of chemistry and collaboration behind them and are an easy sell as the series’ headliners. And surprisingly, Gomez, decades younger and best known as a singer, smoothly rounds out the cast, thanks to their natural rapport and a script that avoids generational cliches and awkwardness. Less boisterously funny than MartinShort Father of the films such as 1991’s Bride, Only Murders is smiley-sweet with a genuinely compelling mystery at its centre. Escapist and sweet, it has the same engrossing appeal as the podcasts the characters love so much. Charles (Martin), Oliver (Short) and Mabel (Gomez) are mere acquaintances at a swanky Upper West Side apartment building until they discover their shared love of true-crime podcasts. Soon after, someone dies under mysterious circumstances in the building. The police are convinced it’s a suicide, but our three amigos — I mean neighbours — are extremely sceptical. They begin looking into the death and decide to start their own podcast documenting their investigation. Each comes with their own baggage. Charles is a former TV star who played Detective Brazzos in a network cop series for years but has been out of work for quite some time, and is also getting over a devastating breakup. Oliver had a modicum of success as a Broadway director, but a series of flops has left him in dire financial straits, and on the verge of losing the apartment he loves so much. And Mabel is the biggest mystery of them all, an artsy young woman living in an apartment that should be wildly out of her price range, who may have a bigger connection to the victim than she admits. Only Murders may have less slapstick humour than fans are expecting, but it is still light and airy despite its dark subject. The central trio embody their odd, agespanning friendship with few hiccups. The sincerity with which the characters want to solve crime, help others and make connections (and maybe gain, or regain, fame along the way) is what propels the comedy. So does a mystery with solid twists and turns, multiple suspects and many absurdities to keep the amateur investigators busy. Martin, Short and Gomez are all excellent in their roles, and they’re surrounded by an equally impressive supporting cast that includes Nathan Lane as a Greek deli magnate who also lives in the building; Amy Ryan as a bassoonist who catches Charles’ eye; and Tina Fey as a Sarah Koenig-like podcast celebrity. The series also understands implicitly what drives so many people to love truecrime podcasts. Oliver, Charles and Mabel aren’t macabre creeps or basementdwelling conspiracy theorists; they’re just people drawn to good stories and storytelling and excited when it’s their turn to drive the narrative. Only Murders At 10 episodes, is probably a shade too long for the story . Maybe cocreators (This Is Us) Martin, Dan Fogelman (Grace and Frankie) and John Hoffman are having too much fun to let the party end early. Even with a little extra fluff in the half-hour instalments, the series never really drags or becomes dull. An easy beach read in TV USA Today form. — Only The first three episodes of Murders In the Building are now available on Disney+, with new episodes arriving each Tuesday from today.